Just Dance

   One "out of her mind" Mom-mom
   One Wii System
+ One living room floor
   Three girls just dancin'

What's a Mom-Mom to do?

So, I'm sitting at the computer, minding my own business, checking my email and drinking my coffee.  In prances Goldilocks.  (She and Rease spent the night) She proceeds to chat with me while I'm trying to read.  I. Don't. Like. That.  As a result, I give her "the ole stink eye".  She doesn't like that.   She leaves.  I settle back in.  What's this?  In she comes again.  Only this time she is sporting her chair and an electronic device.  This girl just doesn't give up!  Wonder where she gets that from?

Rease has since settled on the love seat behind us with her electronic device. But Rease doesn't read out loud.

Goldilocks proceeds to turn on her Kindle ~ yes, that's right ~ she has a Kindle.  A Kindle Fire as a matter of fact.  Both her and Rease. Santa brought them.  Hm.  She opens up my blog.  She looks at my posts.  She then asks how to get to her mommy's blog.  I show her and she's off and running.  Reading out loud to me as she goes.  Did I say its hard for me to be read to and read myself?  I did?  Well, apparently Goldilocks didn't get that memo, nor does "the ole stink eye" intimidate her.  But, I have to admit ~ it was sweet listening to her little voice read the things her mommy had written about her, Rease and Piper.  She made the statement that it brought tears to her eyes.  It made her want to cry. 

Melt.  My.  Heart.   

I Want one.  Oh wait ~ I have two!  tee-hee

Twas the Day of Christmas. . . .

Twas the day of Christmas

And all thru my house

The critters were stirring,

And somewhere, someplace, even a mouse!

The children had long since sprang from their bed

Forgotten, the sugar plums that danced in their heads.

They had an agenda ~ it was plain to see

They wanted those gifts left under the tree!

Santa had come sometime in the night

He came and he left ~ to continue his flight.

And along with the presents he'd left  'neath the tree

He had filled up the stockings, for the girls, all three.

The reindeer ate the snack left on the roof

As the girls dozed off waiting for the sound of their hooves

And Santa ate up his cookies and drank up his milk

He enjoyed it all ~ without any guilt!

 

The hustle, the bustle that Christmas does bring

Builds utmost excitement and makes their hearts sing

They anxiously wait for this day to arrive

It's like riding the carousel and grabbing the prize.

 

 

And when all the paper and bows had been removed

And we patted our backs for not coming unglued,

And there was nothing left for the kidlings to unwrap

Some people settled in for a long, mid morning nap!

So I must say as the night begins to fall,

May God richly bless you ~ one and all!

For the birth of His Son is the true reason

We, as a family, celebrate this season!

Could This Possibly be ME? ? ? ?

I know I have a tendency to get stressed ~ a bit ~ well, maybe a lot ~ should I

consider  a support group?  I feel the need to bond with Helda.  Not necessarily

Granny ~ sitting to her right ~ just wondering. . . .

Fast, Frenzied Family Time

This year was way too wonky!  Only part of my KY gang was able

to come home for Christmas.  They were literally here for only 29 hours! From

 4:00PM on Saturday until 8:45PM on Sunday.

So, instead of slaving in the kitchen making a traditional Christmas dinner, I opted

for a "Christmas Brunch".  Paul did the scrapple (you can't come home and not

have scrapple) and an egg casserole.  I managed the rest ~ a blueberry french toast bake,

fruit salad, OJ, cocoa, and coffee.

Hopie helped with the cocoa, and Rease, Erica and Helena set the table.



 We ate til we burst.



 We served ourselves.

 We drowned our french toast with Blueberry syrup.

We drowned our scrapple with regular syrup.

We savoured our cocoa.

We discussed the benefits of eating blueberries.

We posed for the camera.

We laughed.

And we missed those that weren't here.

Then, just as quickly as they came, they were gone.  Just like that.  In the blink of an eye.



Happy Birthday, Christian!

Happy Birthday to my "One and Only"!

I love you so very much!

Bear Hugs,

Love,

MOM~MOM

Happy Birthday, Bobby!

Double Nickles ~ they say that is a good thing!

Happy Birthday, Bobby!

I love you.

Crickett

Sometimes. . . . .

when I'm at the end of my rope God gives me twelve more inches.  And just let me say, I am a frequent recipient of more rope.  Is this the "Frequent Flier Plan", the more I "fly", the more points I get?Hmmm . . . .  Perhaps I should avoid this airline?

At any rate, I realize there are things I can never, ever, in a gazillion years, change, so I try to adapt to that particular circumstance only to have it change on me. Pan Am, where are you????   It rattles me to the core. I don't do well at all with the change that changes that to which I've tried to adapt.  So God grants me more rope. Oh, there you are!  Sometimes I don't grab the rope quick enough and come unglued. Missed that flight. What a waste of energy and time, because it really takes a long time for me to glue myself back together. This is a very long line.  And, I'm not good at that either ~ I feel I don't collect all the shattered pieces and get them back into the right place.  And ~ once I am glued back together I have to be careful not to rehash (which I do all the time in my head) the reason I was there in the first place ~ the reason I needed more rope, the reason I needed to glue myself back together.  It. Is. Exhausting.  It makes my head hurt and my heart ache.  I need to get out of this line!

But it's okay.  Boarding at Gate 12". I am just venting ~ there's more room outside my head for this nonsense than in.  And once it's out ~ it's out.  Done.  Finito.  Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies, do I see  . . . . . (sing it Ella!)

"The Village of Quantico" 22nd Annual Holiday Candlelight Tour

This is the first year I've taken this tour!  I fell in love with the old homes we got to visit.  And. . . . to make the night even more special, God gave us a  Full Moon.  Oh yea, that's what I'm talkin' about.

Paul, our ex, ever present, son-in-law, lives next door to the Church where the tickets were sold.  Now, you didn't have to buy tickets, you could just walk the quaint little street and peek in,  but ~  the tickets allowed you to go into the homes (so sweetly marked and numbered with a pineapple sign) and view up close and personal the architecture and decorations of that home!  So, you know what we did, or should I say, Paul, did.  Yep.  Tickets.

We started off with a light dinner and some fellowship at Paul and the girl's home.  We then bundled up, grabbed camera and off we started, only to come back and get new batteries for said camera.  Then we're off and running!

The streets and sidewalks to the homes were lined with paper bag luminaries. I love the look! You just followed them for the tour ~ no tour guide needed!  We did, however, get a flier that told the history of the homes we could visit. 

First stop was The "Feeney House".  It wasn't open to walk thru, but you could "peek" in the front windows.  I wanted to go in in the worst way! (There's something about "peeking" that makes me feel ~ weird ~ and even more so whent the homeowner is on the other side "peeking" back!)  So, I just casually observed the "architechture" of the house ~ trying not to peek too much ~  thru the front windows that went from porch ceiling to the floor!  Beautiful!

This is "Chelsea".  Built in 1840.  It originally sat on 300 acres of land. This is the only home on the tour (that you could go on)  that was down a side street.  We took a wagon ride to get to it!  So cool, and soooo coooold!

This was our mode of transportation to get to the "Chelsea".  The girls loved it!

Back in "town" we continued on ~ going in one of the old Church parsonages that is now serving as FMC of Quantico's Chapel and "Parsonage House Antiques".  It was built in 1855 for the serving ministers.  The Church itself is in bad repair and unfit for use.  You can see it to the left of the parsonage in the first picture.   And, notice the gas lamp post ~ they light the entire street ~ real gas lamps!  How cool is that?

This is the "Old Disharoon Store".  It was built in 1855.  One of the original purveyors in Quantico.

It is now a craft store ~ open only two days a year for this tour.  I have been dying to get in here for a very long time!  So have the girls.  It's appearance evokes a great curiosity!

I didn't take pictures of every house we went to ~ I thought my camera was mis-behaving, so I randomly shot pics.  I didn't realize they would even be this good. 

Many of the homes were built in the mid to late 1800's and early 1900's.  Many have been remodeled and updated, incorporating parts of the original homes and structures.  One home was relatively "new".  The original burned in 1985 and a new home was built in it's place, although keeping to the time period of the area.

The homeowners were very gracious ~ opening their homes and businesses so we could get a peek at "yester-year".  There was an abundace of goodies and beverages for all to enjoy.  And friendly smiles and greetings abounding ~ warm homes with warm well-wishers! 

At the end of the tour we headed back to Paul's to warm up with some hot cocoa and little rest for our weary feet.  A good night for all.  I think I shall do it again.

Happy Birthday, Nichole!

Pretty in Pink

P ~ is for pretty darn beautiful

I ~ is for intellectually responsible

N ~ is for Nichole ~ lady extraordinaire

K ~ is for kin to me ~ your auntie!

Nichole, you know this is my favorite picture of you!

Happy Birthday to a beautiful young lady!

I love you.

Aunt Crickett

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Smiles are made for sharing!

Thanks for always sharing yours!

Happy Birthday!

Love you,

Aunt Crickett